Finland Stock Watch: Lenni Hämeenaho starts the season hot, again

At this point, the Finnish hockey circuit has been going strong for about a month. Almost all of the teams in Liiga have already played 8-10 games, and the same goes for the Finnish U20 league. The second-tier professional league, Mestis, isn't far behind, either.

Scoring has been significantly up in Liiga compared to previous years, partly due to stricter officiating. Many prospects have also started their seasons in a productive manner.

On the other hand, nothing has changed regarding the weakness of the 2025 draft class; it is still projected to be one of the weakest in Finland’s recent history. No player has been able to significantly boost their draft stock during the first month of play.

Stock Rising 📈

Lenni Hämeenaho, RW, Ässät (New Jersey Devils)

Lenni Hämeenaho only starts hot. He was the top mention on last year's first Stock Watch, too, adding nine points in the first nine games of the season.

The start of his draft-plus-two campaign has been even more productive. He’s currently first in team scoring and ninth in league-wide scoring, having added four goals and 11 points in the first 10 games. Unlike his previous hot start, he’s not riding an extraordinarily high shooting percentage; he is now better positioned to continue accumulating points at a high rate, with the majority of his production being assists.

Hämeenaho’s NHL projection remains mostly unchanged from last season. In a year or two, he should be competing for a top-nine winger spot with the Devils. He remains highly intelligent away from the puck, displaying strong awareness around the net and effective movement. He also excels both as a net-front scorer and a mid-range threat. His skating could still use an extra step, but he just might have the intelligence required to play despite that weakness.

Otto Salin, D, TPS (Los Angeles Kings)

A mid-season move from HIFK to TPS already had positive impact on Otto Salin's game last season. However, even after a promising pre-season, I don't think anyone would've guessed that the Kings' fifth-round pick would have 10 points after the first 10 games. As of writing this, Salin sits tied for second in the entire league in points among defencemen.

What makes this even more impressive is that Salin hasn't been getting top power play usage unlike most of the blueliners who sit near the top of the league in scoring, instead having had to play second fiddle to Max Lindroth. In total, there have been 54 defencemen who've played more minutes on per night basis than Salin. That tells you volumes about how lethally efficient he's been during the first month of play.

To complement his production, Salin has also posted some of the best transition numbers among Liiga defencemen. That being said, he's also conceding a lot of entries and his on-ice defensive metrics significantly lag behind what he's been able to accomplish with the puck. So far, though, the offence has easily outweighed the defensive shortcomings. 

Daniel Nieminen, D, Pelicans (2025 NHL Draft, re-entry)

While we ranked Daniel Nieminen towards the end of our draft board, he did end up slipping undrafted this past summer. For a while, it seemed like he'd be more or less stuck at the U20 level for another season. However, he's not looked back since getting called up in the middle of September. In the eight Liiga games he's played, he's averaged close to 17 minutes per night and added five assists.

Nieminen is definitely not lacking in self-confidence. He has arrived in the league playing his usual offence-heavy style. His skating ability – arguably Nieminen’s best asset – has translated really well, allowing him to make his active style work without significantly compromising his team defensively. He has also been very effective at running one of the Pelicans’ power play units from the point.

Obviously, Nieminen’s defensive game still has a long way to go at this level, but it should improve as he gets more reps. Before the season, I would have been quite sceptical about his chances of making Team Finland for the upcoming World Juniors. After the first month of play, I’d definitely bet on him being on the roster. If he keeps this up, he might also get some attention as an over-ager once the 2025 draft rolls around.

Stock Steady ↔️

Rasmus Kumpulainen, C, Pelicans (Minnesota Wild)

After a relatively successful year in the OHL, Rasmus Kumpulainen signed his ELC with the Wild and headed back to Finland on a loan in the hopes of establishing himself in the professional ranks with Pelicans. Adding three points in his Liiga debut, Kumpulainen has managed eight points in nine games to start the season. His 17 minutes per night average is also the fifth-highest on the team among forwards.

If you wanted to poke holes to Kumpulainen's production, you could point to the fact that the majority of it has happened on the power play. On the other hand, he's actually been among the top Liiga forwards on the man-advantage to start the season, not only in terms of the raw production but also his chance creation numbers. However, he's still got room to step up more at 5-on-5. Expect him to play a top-six role for Finland at the World Juniors.

Stock Falling 📉

Aron Kiviharju, D, HIFK (Minnesota Wild)

After having his draft year ruined by an injury, the start of this season represented an opportunity for a bounce back for Aron Kiviharju. So far, he's stayed healthy, but his performances have also left a lot to be desired.

The start hasn't been optimal on the scoresheet. Kiviharju did score his opening goal of the season last weekend, but one point in ten games is not ideal. And it's not like he's just been unlucky with the bounces. In my viewings, he's barely created any offence, instead being stuck at making conservative plays from the point. Defensively, Kiviharju's instincts allow him to make the odd rush stop by stepping up at the right time, but he's still struggling to make an impact once the play settles in the defensive zone.

Even more problematically, his transition wizardry hasn't really been a factor, either. The skating is still the biggest hindrance, not having enough quickness to beat the F1 with his feet and relying more on deferring to teammates. At this point, it's fair to wonder if his upside as a skating has been permanently weakened by the injuries. I'm expecting Kiviharju to improve as the season progresses, but if you expected a significant developmental leap from the past, his first month of the season will leave you disappointed. 

Patrik Kerkola, G, KalPa (2025 NHL Draft)

Patrik Kerkola came into the season with the potential to be the top Finnish prospect of the 2025 class. Given how weak the class is overall, it's still very much possible, but his first month of play has been far from his best work.

Signing a two-year deal with KalPa in August, Kerkola has started seven games for KalPa's U20 team. In all of those games, he's allowed three or more goals. His .850 save percentage is the second-weakest mark in the league among goalies with at least three games played.

Goalies are a different beast and their current level of performance doesn't correlate with their draft stock the same way it does for skaters. Still, it's fair to say that Kerkola's first month of the season hasn't been up to his usual standards and that he's been unable to build up more momentum behind him being one of the best goalies in this class.